azard: Treen ' by Arlene Wilson “One match could send the whole Bryce Canyon National Park forest up in flames,”’ said Dr. Hayle Buchanan, professor of Botany at Weber State College. Dr. Buchanan sees a ‘‘wild forest fire’ as the greatest threat to Bryce Canyon forests following a three-year study of plant life in the canyons forests. His recent study involved the same 18-mile tract of forest at the park that he used for his thesis “The Plant Ecology of Bryce National Park’”’ in 1960. He was awarded a grant to study plant ecology changes and make recommendations. Changes were apparent in the 20 year period. The most significant change is that the forest covers more area and is now more dense. To the novice this may appear to be a good sign. Not so, says Dr. Buchanan. A dense forest means that trees are invading grasslands and meadows. As the trees take over, the wildlife food supply of grasses and bushes decreases. Deer like bitterbrush. Twenty years ago there was a plentiful supply, 10 Rie As Dog Canyial of F Buchoted ir changtsin plotstear p years ago it was dying, and today it is gone. Wildflowers, the showiest ones, are on their way out and the conifers are choking out the aspens, said Dr. Buchanan. Also, a dense forest is disease-prone, infected with mistletoe, limb rust fungus, and insects such as bark beetles. Why all these changes? Dr. Buchanan observes that once forests had natural ‘“‘light fires” caused by LAGLOE 1969 - Conifers were growing and filling in the meadows. lightning. These fires did not rage through a whole forest because natural fire breaks were created by the meadows and grasslands. Fire consumed dead and rotting trees, diseased and fungus laden trees, usually leaving the strong, healthy trees and aspens which do not burn easily. “Trees 80 years and older often show burn scars where fires spread around them. Younger trees have no such scars because natural fires are not allowed to burn,” said Dr. Buchanan. Natural fires created ‘‘fairly open forests’’ with plenty of the necessary meadows, brush and wildlife habitat. Dr. Buchanan pointed out that a fire now would take everything in its path and cause absolute devastation. The 18-mile tract he has studied is so dense it could burn in a few hours. From the rim of the canyon, water drains eastward into the Colorado River system, and from the forest on the top of the plateau the drainage is westward into the East Fork Sevier River, disappearing in the desert. 1978 - Dense forest decreases wildlife food supply, intensifies fir danger. . Buc the I n the F land it Sevi Conife ving fir wing t flower sh i ne. t one ¢ there